Practically Perfect

from Mary Poppins on Broadway.

Nerd Alert!

I'm a big time fan of reading.
Per the request of The Hil,
here is list of books
I think you should read.
These, however, are only made of
a list of books in my room.
There are more.

Life Changing Books
The Murder of Jesus -- John Macarthur
Redeeming Love -- Francine Rivers
Mark of the Lion series -- Francine Rivers
My Utmost for His Highest -- Oswald Chambers
Anything by G.K. Chesterton

Books for Escape
The Devil Wears Prada -- Lauren Weisberger
Emma -- Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities -- Charles Dickens
The Pretense -- Lori Wick
10 Little Indians -- Agatha Christie
Candide -- Voltaire

Politics
Taking Heat -- Ari Fleischer
Black in the White House -- Ron Christie
Liberty, Order, and Justice -- James McClellan
All the President's Men -- Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
Anything Ann Coulter. She may be controversial but her style of writing is a good reading practice.

We're Interns, we're supposed to be wrong.

Being an intern has endless possibilities. There is the possibility to do well or to do poorly, to make use everything within your grasp, or not, to eat too much, to drink too much, shop too much or simply sight see too much. Living in the Metropolitan Mecca (for those with political aspirations), Washington D.C., exposed me to all sides of how or what an intern can be.
This past summer led me to an internship on Capitol Hill. I had the privilege of being offered a press internship. I worked for three months making copies, sorting and filing mail, answering phones, giving Capitol tours, running errands (of a somewhat important nature), and writing a few press releases and tributes. The perks of being a gopher allowed me to see and interact with many brilliant and/or famous people. In the midst of one of my many copying adventures, I ran into Hillary Clinton. I was on an already crowded elevator with stacks of news clips in my hand trying to get them to my boss. The elevator stops just one floor before my stop, the doors open and there stands Senator Clinton in all of her “glory.” Now, common courtesy requires that staff and interns alike exit an elevator should a member of congress need it. Seeing as we were already pretty full, we thought she could wait for the next elevator. No, no. Senator Clinton and her entourage (I believe there were five in all) climb on board the elevator whereupon she chooses to stand next to me. At this point we are standing arm-touching-arm on a very tiny elevator and she begins to talk to the elevator operator who is mentally handicapped. I’m sure the Senator was attempting to be funny by making a low sounding voice while talking to our elevator operator. However, her joke came off to everyone else in the elevator (somewhere around 12 people now) as her making fun of a retard. We were only in the elevator for a mere moment in time but that moment will stick with me for a lifetime.
The cultural norms as discussed by Judee Burgoon state that we, as human beings, have certain expectations. In this instance, my expectation was that Senator Clinton would, first of all, have enough common sense to realize that seven staffers would not be emptying an elevator just for her when it was only one flight of stairs she could take (to her left), or would have just waited for another elevator. However, a former first lady violates the normalcy of a society’s culture, especially if she feels some form of entitlement in her everyday life. Had I been the only person aboard the elevator upon her calling it, I would have gladly exited the elevator in order to make a Senator’s life that much easier and simply out of respect. Not only did the Senator encroach upon my psyche but she also invaded my personal space. Any normal New York registered Democratic voter would have reveled in the opportunity to be touching their Senator but I, the young, staunch registered Republican voter, did not relish in this opportunity. She was in my “intimate distance” as Burgoon states. Senator Clinton, in the matter of 30 seconds, managed to violate my cultural beliefs as well as personal space.

It's in the genes

You know that saying, Friends are the family you choose for yourself? I have been pondering that and thought that that is a such rude and thoughtless statement. Here's why. When I was little I had my own room with a double bed (life of luxury, I assure you) and I was learning how to spell. Instead of sleeping one night I decided to practice my spelling... on the headboard. With a plastic pencil, I carved words onto my very nice, oak headboard. I don't remember exactly how the events unfolded from there but I remember having to wait for my dad to get home that evening for my punishment. It was well-deserved but not necessarily something I wanted to have happen to me. Regardless of what I thought though, there were consequences for my actions. If only I had shared a room like my sisters then maybe one of them would have said, "ummmmmmm, don't do that! you'll get in trouble!" As Christians we are being broken and punished by our Heavenly Father constantly because by His very nature He is a just God. If we are listening, the reprimand isn't the end of the world. Descartes stated God to be something that, "nothing greater can be conceived," so He must deal with our sin. If we are compromising our witness and the name of Christ the punishment is sure to be swift and unpleasant. Those who truly care about us tell us things about ourselves that are unpleasant and possibly hurtful because the truth, in a depraved world, is not sexy. To be refined by God is something an unsaved person cannot understand or begin to grasp. This does not grant us a right to arrogance by any means but what an amazing thought! God breaks, molds and reforms those whom He loves. It's a continual promise that He has placed us in the world for His purposes, His desires in His perfect time. What an excellent family I have. I didn't choose them but they love me enough to correct me and mold me into the creation God intended me to be... something I could not and would not choose on my own. Friends are to be valued and treasured for sure but more than that family is to be honored and revered above all. Don't think I am shrugging friends off, I'm not. I have realized though that very few people we encounter in life develop into relationships of the familial sort. Rarely do we have a friend who will say, "what you just did was really stupid." As much as it probably hurts a parent to deny a child his wish that parent realizes the importance of his child's positive development. The still, small voice of Jesus Christ is present within our lives... that includes the words our families speak to us.

ALRIGHT!

Now, I'm not one for New Year's resolutions because I think, on the surface, it's a cop out. "Resolutions" should be taking place in our lives on a daily basis. Some sort of reflection and comparison to what God requires of us through His Word has to take place each day or our desires to change will be only empty promises. So, for the past week or so God has been teaching me that I am a selfish person, and He's been teaching it through various people and things. He is really great about driving a point home. Every single conversation I have had with different people has involved a whisper of selfishness (not necessarily with the person but a story that points toward something selfish) in which God has said, "Leslie, pay attention to this. I need you to hear this. This is important." Isn't it weird/cool to think that God knows our personalities and how we respond to various people and situations? He knows me so intimately that He knows I don't hear very well. I may listen but not actually hear what's being said so, He repeats it. Beth Moore says it best in her online devotional: "Recognizing that salvation belongs to Christ helps us get out of ourselves. Simply stated, it’s not about us. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in ourselves that we become the center of our own universe. Salvation is His. It’s about Him. Following Christ breaks the stranglehold of self in our lives as He becomes the center of our universe. We decrease; He increases (see John 3:30). Joy results. " It was such a great pointing out of how I've changed. Slightly jaded and a little bit unfriendly; with these also come arrogance and pride. All sub-parts of my selfishness. Nevertheless, it proves the faithfulness and sovereignty of God to His children.